


As the sun rises

by nocturne-of-forest (annathescavver)



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Banter, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, link needs a nap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:20:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25867306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annathescavver/pseuds/nocturne-of-forest
Summary: Having just received the Master Sword, Link is headed back to Kakariko. He's tired. It's been a long few days and he hasn't been sleeping well. His two companions know it.
Relationships: Epona & Link (Legend of Zelda), Link & Midna (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	As the sun rises

“You should probably sleep, right?”

Blinking the blurriness out of his eyes, Link looked towards the voice. In the shadow he cast along the grass he saw two eyes. Instead of the usual snarkiness or irritation, he saw only concern in them.

“Probably,” he mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. Closing his eyes felt good.

“Then why aren’t you stopping to make camp?” This time some of the irritation was back and it made him smile.

Why bother? The sun was going to rise soon, and they were within a few hours of Kakariko. He was eager to be back; to check on his friends and restock his supplies. Hopefully, he could even get something to eat and an actual bed to sleep in. Stopping where they were, just so he could sleep on the cold, hard ground, was not a plan he wanted to entertain.

“I’ll be fine,” he said. “It’s not far.”

The eyes narrowed for a moment before Midna raised herself into the air. Ever since Zelda’s recent sacrifice, she’d been able to exist, fully, in the light world. She still preferred nighttime, she’d mentioned to Link the night before, as it was much more comforting to her. She’d also said, words muttered beneath her breath, that it was a strange, unfamiliar sensation for her to be in the light world. She hadn’t quite decided how she felt about it, or the sacrifice the princess had made.

All she knew was that she wanted to repay Zelda somehow. And, of course, find and completely defeat Zant.

Link agreed. That was the original plan, sure, but thinking of how Zant had attempted to kill her had him wanting to march straight into the Twilight Palace and take out Zant himself.

“You’re fine,” Midna echoed, arms crossing over her chest. “You know, I doubt that. You’re about to fall asleep as it is.”

It won’t be the first time. If Link had learned anything in the last few weeks, it was that he was quite capable of falling asleep in nearly any location - provided he and Midna were safe.

Link waved a hand. “I’ll manage,” he insisted, stubborn. “If I do, Epona knows the way.”

As if in reply, the horse tossed her head with an indignant snort.

“I know, I know,” Link said with a smile. “You put up with a lot from me, don’t you?”

Epona turned her head and regarded him with a dry expression.

“See, even she agrees with me.” Minda held out a hand and gestured towards Epona. “I know you’re Mr. Important Hero, but you’re still human. You still need sleep. So sleep.”

She floated closer and behind her stern expression there was considerable worry. “Look,” she continued, “You’ve been traveling without rest for a while now. I know how you didn’t get any sleep the other night, and very little last night either.”

Finding it difficult to meet her eyes, Link looked down to where his hands were holding Epona’s reins. “Yeah, well,” he said, voice barely audible. “I did what I had to do. Like I said, I’ll be fine.”

When he had been forced back into his beast form, and Midna gravely injured, he had panicked, thinking only of fighting off Zant and somehow finding a way to heal Midna.

He recalled the feelings of despair, worry, _anger_ , that had twisted his gut following the encounter. Running through the night, rain soaking through his thick fur and a weak Midna clinging to his back, he had only hoped he would find help in time. Sleep was the last thing on his mind that night, and it was still something he found difficult to come by.

“Stubborn wolf.” Midna’s voice broke through his thoughts. She spun towards his shadow, body already fading. “When you fall off of your horse, don’t come sobbing to me.”

Link chuckled at the biting edge to her voice. He didn’t worry much about it anymore. In the beginning, she’d been spiteful and full of anger. Though she’d lashed out at him a few times, he’d quickly learned to take it in stride. He had sensed a terrible sadness in her, and a desire to right the wrongs done to both her and her world. Now, though…

Well, he wasn’t sure. But somewhere in their travels a lot of her anger had faded, at least towards him. And what anger there was usually had something to do with what she called his “reckless stupidity” or his “goat-headed stubbornness”. Those days he’d give her a grin, and she’d cross her arms with the slightest hint of a smile.

“Alright, fine,” he said, stifling a yawn. “As soon as we arrive in Kakariko, I’ll get Epona’s gear off of her so she can rest, and then I’ll find a bed. Okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Midna said and she seemed satisfied with his answer. She closed her eyes and a moment later, she was gone, having completely disappeared into his shadow.

His shadow, not the one Epona made. She was always careful like that. Always sticking to his, or the shadows of inanimate things like houses and boulders. Maybe it was an issue of consent, as he’d given her his permission to be there, or maybe it was a comfort to her.

With that, he turned his attention back to the road ahead. They were crossing south Hyrule field now, the miles of rolling grass spreading out all around them. He breathed in, taking in the smell of the distant forest as well as the pond nearby. He hoped it would clear his head, help him wake up, but it seemed to do the opposite.

He felt his eyes drift closed again. It was as if his eyelids each weighed as much as a bulblin. Forcing them open, he shook himself and sat up, only to feel them closing once again.

As the sun began to rise, the familiar sway of Epona’s gait lulled him to sleep, and so, against his best efforts, he was soon dreaming.

Midna watched him from the shadows. With a roll of her eyes, she had to admit that he would be fine. He wasn’t going to fall off, at any rate. Even in sleep, with his head falling forward and slightly to the side, and his body slouched in the saddle, he still had a solid hold on the reins.

She checked. She didn’t want him to break an arm or something, the stubborn wolf that he was.

Epona turned her head again and noticed that her rider had fallen asleep. Nickering softly, she gave Link a look that Midna swore was sympathetic. After, she picked her head up, eyes and ears scanning for danger. There was none (Midna checked for that, too), but the horse kept a watch out anyway.

Personally, Midna thought she deserved a bushel of apples. Not only for this, but for the unquestioning loyalty she showed and the sheer effort she put in. Speaking of…

There were a few apples still in one of the saddlebags. Quietly, as she knew just how alert and quick-to-startle Link was, she withdrew one and offered it to Epona. The horse took it, eating it in two big bites, and the two of them shared a knowing look.

Disappearing back into Link’s shadow, Midna stayed awake and helped Epona keep watch. As they did, the hero began to snore.

**Author's Note:**

> While I was playing Twilight Princess the one day, the sun started to rise as I traveled across the field. It made me realize just how long it's been since Link actually got some sleep.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you guys have a great day.


End file.
